Ground-water Resources

Utilization of Ground Water

Public Supplies

Five towns--Baldwin, Eudora, Lecompton, Overbrook (Osage County) and
Wellsville (Franklin County)--have well fields in Douglas County that
provide the entire supplies for those towns. Lawrence utilizes both
surface water and ground water for its public supply. Available logs of
municipal wells and test holes indicated on Plate 2 are included at the
end of this report.

Baldwin

Two dug wells and six drilled wells (Table 8; PI. 2) supply water for
the town of Baldwin. Seven of the wells, ranging from 40 to 60 feet in
depth and from 8 to 120 inches in diameter, tap the Ireland Sandstone
member of the Lawrence Shale, and one well 26 feet deep and 240 inches
in diameter taps both the Ireland Sandstone and alluvial deposits along
Spring Creek. Water is pumped from the well field to an elevated
200,000-gallon steel reservoir near the center of town.

Approximately 47 million gallons (144 acre-feet) of water was used in
1955 (Table 7). The water is of good quality, as shown by the analysis
in Table 4. Chlorination is the only treatment given the water.

Eudora

The water supply of Eudora is obtained from two wells about 12 inches in
diameter and 64 feet deep, which produce water from alluvium in the
Kansas River valley. The average pumpage is about 80,000 gpd (Table 7);
in 1955 approximately 29 million gallons (89 acre-feet) was pumped from
the well field.

The newer of the two wells was not inventoried, but it is located in the
same area and is of similar construction to the well inventoried
(13-21-5db).

The water is of good quality except for more than 400 ppm of hardness
(Table 4). Water is pumped from the well field to an elevated
50,000-gallon steel storage reservoir for distribution after being
softened, treated for removal of iron, and chlorinated.

Lawrence

Both ground water and surface water are now used for the Lawrence
municipal water supply, but originally only ground water and later only
surface water was used (Lohman, 1938). Six wells ranging from 48.5 to
51.3 feet in depth are located north of the water plant in alluvium
along Kansas River (PI. 2). They are each equipped with 12-inch diameter
screens, 18-inch casing, and 350 gpm capacity pumps. According to Robert
Mounsey, city water superintendent (personal communication), in 1955 the
well field supplied 414,817,600 gallons of water or about 34.6 percent
of the total supply of 1,198,042,000 gallons. The quality of water in
Kansas River changes with its stage and is affected by seasonal changes.
Whenever the river water is excessively turbid or contains large
quantities of taste- or odor-causing algae, the percentage of well water
used is increased.

Normally the river water is somewhat softer than the ground water, but
the ground water has a more nearly constant chemical quality and is free
from turbidity, taste, and odor-causing organisms. The water is
softened, chlorinated, and fluorinated at the treatment plant.

Lecompton

Lecompton obtains its water supply from a well (11-18-34bd) northwest of
the town in the alluvium of the Kansas River valley. The well is 10
inches in diameter and 30 feet deep. Average pumpage is reported to be
approximately 10,000 gallons a day (Table 6). In 1955 approximately 3.6
million gallons (11 acre-feet) was pumped.

The water is very hard and contains 0.31 ppm iron and manganese (Table
4) but otherwise is of good quality.

Overbrook

Two drilled wells in southwestern Douglas County supply water for
Overbrook, which is in Osage County to the West. The wells tap the
Tonganoxie Sandstone member of the Stranger Formation. Well 15-17-1ac1
(east well), is 507 feet deep and is eased with 412.5 feet of 6,14-inch
iron casing. Well 15-17-1ac2 is 497 feet deep and is cased with 417 feet
of 6 1/4-inch iron casing. Each well is equipped with a 35-gpm capacity
submersible turbine pump. Water is pumped from the wells to an elevated
50,000-gallon steel reservoir at the east edge of town.

The water is of satisfactory quality as shown by the two analyses in
Table 4, although it is hard and exceeds slightly the maximum values
recommended by the U. S. Public Health Service for dissolved solids and
iron. Analyses of water samples collected April 1, 1953, and December
12, 1955, indicate that the quality of water had improved slightly
between those dates. Water treatment consists of chlorination.

The average daily usage is about 20,000 gallons, and in 1955 a total of
about 7.3 million gallons (22 acre-feet) was pumped.

Wellsville

Prior to June 1956, two large dug wells, each 60 feet deep, and one
8,4-inch drilled well, 61 feet deep, provided the municipal water supply
of the city of Wellsville, Franklin County (PI. 2). In 1956 a fourth
well (15-21-4bb), 100 feet deep, was drilled and added to the supply
system. All the wells obtain water from the Ireland Sandstone member of
the Lawrence Shale.

In 1955 an estimated 22 million gallons, or 68 acre-feet (Table 7), was
pumped from the well field through a 50,000-gallon elevated steel
storage reservoir near the center of town.

The water is of good quality as shown by the chemical analysis in Table
4. Chlorination is the only treatment given the water.

Industrial Supplies

Cooperative Farm Chemicals Association
Ammonium nitrate, urea solutions, anhydrous ammonia, and ammonia
solutions are produced by the Cooperative Farm Chemicals Association
plant east of Lawrence. Ground water is pumped from nine wells (Pl. 2)
in alluvial deposits of the Kansas River valley for use principally in
cooling processes, boiler feed, and products manufacture. A total of 471
million gallons of water (Table 7) was pumped from the well field in
1955. Consumptive use amounts to approximately half a million gallons
per day During the last half of 1955 the plant also obtained 63 million
gallons of water from the city of Lawrence.

Kansas Power and Light Co.

The Kansas Power and Light Co. generating plant between Lawrence and
Lakeview is the largest single user of ground water in Douglas County.
Six wells in the alluvium of the Kansas River valley provide 1,000 to
1,500 gpm continuously. In 1955 pumpage was approximately 578 million
gallons, or 1,774 acre-feet (Table 7).The water is used chiefly for
cooling.

National Alfalfa Dehydrating and Milling Co.

The National Alfalfa Dehydrating and Milling Co. has dehydrators at
Lakeview and Midland, which operate during the growing season. The
Midland plant has storage and processing facilities that operate
throughout the year. Approximately 1.5 million galIons of water is used
annually by the two dehydrators.

Westvaco Mineral Products Division Food Machinery & Chemical Corp.

Sodium phosphate, phosphoric acid, and dry ice are manufactured by the
Westvaco Mineral Products Division in north Lawrence. Ground water,
obtained from six wells in the alluvium of the Kansas River valley, is
used for cooling. In 1955 the well field was Pumped at a rate of 800 to
900 gpm about 80 percent of the year, and pumpage totaled 414 million
gallons (1,271 acre-feet). About 10 to 15 percent of the water pumped is
consumed.

Irrigation Supplies

The first irrigation of field crops in the Kansas River valley was
probably in the middle 1930's. During the 1940's rainfall was generally
above normal and interest in irrigation declined. The years 1952 to
1956, inclusive, were drought years and interest in irrigation was
revived. In 1955 an estimated 629 acre-feet of water was pumped from
wells and water-table pits in the Kansas River valley in Douglas County,
to irrigate 656 acres of crops, principally corn and alfalfa. In 1957,
1,080 acres was irrigated from wells or water-table pits. Irrigation
water is most commonly distributed by sprinkler systems, and the wells
are pumped at rates of 350 to 1,000 gpm.

Water analyses available indicate that the ground water is satisfactory
for crops most commonly irrigated. Ground water in the Kansas River
valley generally has a low sodium (alkali) hazard and a medium or high
salinity hazard. Crops of moderate salt tolerance, such as corn,
alfalfa, wheat, oats, and potatoes, can be irrigated without special
practices, but high-salinity water cannot be used on soils having
restricted drainage. For a more thorough discussion of the suitability
of water for irrigation the interested reader is referred to Agriculture
Handbook 60 of the U. S. Department of Agriculture.

No ground-water irrigation is practiced outside the Kansas River valley,
as sufficiently high yields generally are not obtainable elsewhere in
the county.

Domestic and Stock Supplies

Several hundred water supplies for domestic and stock needs are obtained
from wells and springs in Douglas County. During 1955, a drought year,
many farm, domestic, and stock supplies were inadequate, and much water
was hauled from municipal supplies and from Kansas Emergency Relief
Committee wells. It is estimated that, exclusive of water from municipal
sources, about 200,000 gpd of water was obtained from wells and springs.
The total 1955 use is estimated at 73 million gallons or 224 acre-feet
(Table 7).

Summary

Pumpage of ground water increased more than 400 percent between 1950 and
1956, chiefly as a result of industrial and irrigation developments.
Additional large increases for industry and agriculture are likely to
result in the next few years; most of the ground water will be obtained
from alluvium and Newman Terrace deposits in the Kansas River valley.